REPRODUCTIVE WARS

09.22.12

Illinois Court Rules Against Plan B

Keith Srakocic / AP Photo

Illinois women in need of emergency contraception will now have to examine their pharmacies more carefully. On Friday, an appellate court in the state ruled that pharmacists don't have to stock the morning-after pill, whose brand name is Plan B, if they have religious objections to the medication, which prevents a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex or contraceptive failure. The ruling negates a 2005 mandate from former Governor Rod Blagojevich stating that all pharmacies must stock the pill. It echoes a similar ruling passed in Washington this year.